weekend update

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In one of the best heptathlons of all-time, Katarina Johnson-Thompson produced a terrific new personal best score of 6691 points but remarkably had to settle for fourth place, notably behind Olympic champion Nafi Thiam’s 7013 effort, the third best score of all-time.

Leading overnight thanks to a 100mH personal best of 13.29 and season’s bests in the high jump and 200m, it was clear the Liverpool Harrier was in fine form. A javelin season’s best of 39.98m was the highlight of day two, as the British number one improved her lifetime best by 9 points.

In the decathlon, Ashley Bryant (coach: Aston Moore) produced a fantastic new personal best score of 8163 points, which will go some way to making up for missing out on the Rio Olympic Games. 100m and 400m season’s bests topped and tailed Bryant’s strong first day, but it got better of day two with season’s bests in all five events to leave him with a personal best score in tenth place for 8163, a score over the IAAF World Championships qualifying standard of 8100.

Andrew Butchart (Derek Easton) overcame a 6,000 mile journey back from America, where he ran 13.11 over 5,000m at the Eugene Diamond League two days earlier, to ease to 10km victory on the streets of London. A clear winner, Butchart had time to high five members of the crowd before crossing the line in 29.18 to take the British title. Abel Tsegay (Peter Mullervy) took second with Andy Maud winning the battle for third.

In the women’s race Jo Pavey (Gavin Pavey) rolled back the years, and her relative disappointments at both the London Marathon and Highgate Night of the 10,000m PBs, taking a popular victory in 32.57. The 43 year old finished some 20 seconds clear of runner-up Sonia Samuels, who equalled her personal best with a 32.18 effort, whilst Charlotte Purdue (Nic Bideau) rounded out the top three as she crossed the line in 33.32.

A record number of British athletes travelled to Belgium on Saturday, with a number of those rewarded with personal bests, season’s bests or London 2017 IAAF World Championship qualifying marks.

1500m man Jake Wightman (Geoff Wightman) was one of those, pulling clear of Kenyan Charles Simotwo to break the tape in 3.35.93, inside the required 3.36.00. That season’s best run was also his fastest time since 2014. Shelayna Oskan-Clarke (Jon Bigg) was another athlete to bag a London 2017 standard and take victory on the night, as she stopped the clock in 2.00.17 in the women’s 800m, also a season’s best. Adelle Tracey (Craig Winrow) was sixth in 2.01.93.

In the men’s 800m James Bowness (William Parker) was the pick of the Brits in seventh, edging out Kyle Langford who was eighth. The duo both bagged season’s bests of 1.46.40 and 1.46.56 respectively. In the C race there was a personal best of 1.47.83 for U23 Spencer Thomas (Bigg).

Moving up in distance there was a pair of personal bests for Nick Goolab (Craig Winrow) and Adam Clark (Geoff Watkin) in the men’s 5,000m, with times of 13.33.48 and 13.39.21. However the big winner was Alex Yee (Kenneth Pike), the youngster posting the fastest time by a British junior since 1981 with his 13:37.60 run for second in the B race.

Despite being seeded in the B race, Jess Tuner (Nick Dakin) went inside the European U23 400mH qualifying time thanks to victory in a new personal best of 56.76. In the 400m flat Lavai Nielsen (Frank Adams) was first Brit home, fourth in the A race in 52.60.

It was PBs all round in the men’s 3000m steeplechase as Ieuan Thomas (James Thie) led the Brits with a 8.33.59 time, good for seventh. Chasing him hard in seventh and eighth were Will Gray (Bud Baldaro) and Jonathan Hopkins, the pair posting 8.33.68 and 8.34.03, whilst Adam Kirk-Smith (Tomaz Pilbersek) smashed his lifetime best, set just last weekend, by nine seconds with a 8.37.62 run.

In the field there were wins for Alan Smith (Bryan Roy) who cleared 2.15m in the high jump and Scott Lincoln (Paul Wilson) who launched the shot to 18.79m.

Loughborough University student Jess Judd (Mick Judd) undoubtedly produced the run of the evening as she posted an impressive personal best of 15.34.82 to win the 5,000m by 35 seconds, well clear of the rest of the field throughout. That time was 12 seconds outside the London 2017 standard, but way inside the 16.00 time needed for European U23 Championship consideration.

The men’s 5,000m saw personal bests for the first five, the first four of those also U23 athletes, but perhaps frustratingly they all just missed out on the European U23 Championship qualifying mark of 13.55. Emile Cairess (Phil Townsend) led them home in 13.59.82, just edging out Patrick Dever (Andy Townsend) who ran 13.59.99. Next came 1500m man James West (George Gandy) in 14.01.37 followed by Chris Olley’s (Mark Hookway) 14.03.29 and Graham Rush in 14.05.25.

Markhim Lonsdale (Keith Lonsdale) was the big winner over 800m, taking the A race in 1.46.97, way inside the European Junior Championship qualifying time. In fact the man in fifth, Ben Greenwood (Catriona Tavendale), also sneaked inside the time with his 1.48.80 personal best. The women’s 800m was also won by a junior, Anna Burt (Kevin Brunt) rewarded with a 2.04.52 PB and European Junior time.

In her first ever senior heptathlon, Niamh Emerson (David Feeney) slotted in at fifth on the British junior all-time lists with an impressive score of 5801 points. Leading overnight thanks to an 11.99m shot and 24.97 200m, both of which were personal bests, Emerson was visibly growing in confidence as she sat almost 100 points clear of Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Jessica Taylor-Jemmett (Mike Holmes).

Day two saw European Youth bronze medallist Emerson produce a 34.45m javelin personal best before a 2.12 800m, fractionally outside her best for that event, saw her crowned England Athletics champion.

In the men’s event James Finney (Sam Stanislaus) was crowned champion thanks a huge personal best score of 7263 points in what was his first decathlon since 2014. A junior back then and having now moved up to the senior implements, Finney remarkably set personal bests in nine out of the ten events, only falling short in the long jump, where he set a personal best just this indoor season.

Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (Dennis Shaver) continued his brilliant start to the outdoor season as he won his 200m heat and quarter-final and finished second in his 100m quarter–final to book spots in both events at the NCAA Championships in two weeks’ time. Running 20.30 (0.3) and 20.04 (-0.4) the young sprint star was easily the pick of the bunch, whilst his 10.26 (-0.2) 100m time was also enough to advance.

Jamaine Coleman (Andy Bibby) was the other big British winner at the meeting, booking his NCAA spot thanks to a massive 8.34.19 3000m steeplechase personal best to finish in second place, a time which was also just outside the London 2017 qualifying mark. In the 1500m William Paulson (Christopher Frapwell), Robbie Farnham-Rose (Mark Hookway) and Neil Gourley (Ben Thomas) all did enough to advance, as did Rhianwedd Price (Houston Franks) in the women’s equivalent.

George Caddick (Clyde Hart) ran personal bests in both his heat and quarter-final to book his NCAA Championship semi-final place in fine style. Winning his heat in 45.76, Caddick went on to run 45.45 for third in the next round.

Roy Ejiakuekwu (Benke Blomkvist) also squeezed through to Nationals, securing the last available 200m berth thanks to his 20.65 (1.7) effort, a big personal best. In the women’s 200m Ama Pipi (Jonas Dodoo) also progressed, her windy 22.99 (2.7) in fifth also enough.

In the 1500m Josh Kerr (Joe Franklin) cruised to victory in both his heat and quarter-final, whilst Amy Eloise-Neale was fourth in her quarter in the same event to also advance. Marc Scott (Steve Gulley) secured a classy 5,000m/10,000m double to punch his ticket to Nationals in both events, and he’ll be joined by teammate Luke Traynor (Dudley Walker) in the latter. In the women’s 10,000m a trio of Brits progressed, Alice Wright (Franklin) taking victory in 34.06.78, ahead of Charlotte Taylor in fourth and Bethan Knights (Shayla Houlihan) in seventh. Euan Makepeace (Matt Roe) also had the run of his young career to date, finishing third in his 5,000m heat in 14.05.57 to secure his place.

In the field Jacob Fincham-Dukes (Zivile Pukstiene) leapt to 7.96m (2.0), just centimetres short of his lifetime best, to finish third, whilst Janisha Thomas (John Vernon) qualified in both the long and triple jump with efforts of 6.35m (2.2) and 13.05m (2.2). Meanwhile in the throws defending NCAA champion Nic Percy was second in the discus in 61.27m, whilst Rebecca Keating (Paul Dickenson) threw a fine 58.59m personal best in the hammer to advance third in her pool.

In the women’s 100m Daryll Neita prevailed ahead of Imani Lansiquot (both Jonas Dodoo), the training partners separated by just 0.03 of second, Neita running a season’s best of 11.38 (-0.1). Meanwhile in the rarely run 150m Bianca Williams (Lloyd Cowan) ran an impressive 17.06 (0.0) to get the better of Finette Agyapong (Coral Nourrice) and Margaret Adeoye. The latter two athletes also ran the 300m, finishing 1-2 in 36.86 and 37.72.

In the 200m 15 year old Amy Hunt (Joseph McDonnell) revised her personal best with a splendid 24.33 (-1.3) to win section two. In the men’s equivalent Richard Whitehead (Keith Antoine) ran 23.42 (-1.5).

In the 400m Perri Shakes-Drayton (Chris Zah) returned to action for the first time in 11 months, and despite running the same 53.17 time, she was edged out for victory by Cheriece Hylton (Ryan Freckleton), whose victory was rewarded with a personal best.

Jazmin Sawyers (Kelly Sotherton) opened her outdoor season with a win, leaping to 6.53m in the long jump, her second best ever season opener. Ben Williams (John Crotty) took the win in the triple jump, his 16.43m leap just 3cm down on his winning mark at the Loughborough International last weekend.

In the throws, Amy Holder (Neville Thompson) revised her discus personal best by almost a metre, her 54.27m effort a European U23 Championship qualifying mark.